Back in my younger days, I would always wear the coolest tee-shirt from Rainforest Café. It came with a bunch of clasp-on rainforest bugs that I could use to prank people, show off, or entertain myself when I was bored. Now, I’m managing my own miniature rainforest within the confines of my bedroom. What I’m referring to is the bioactive terrarium setup (featured on the left) that has become popularized in the pet community as of late. Here’s why I find this hobby fascinating.
A number of my friends decided to visit the beautiful island of Hawaii this month. Daydreaming about spending time on the beach or hiking Oahu’s “Stairway to Heaven” made me think about a different kind of island: The Urban Heat Island. Urban heat islands aren’t literal islands, though. Certain cities are referred to as urban heat islands because metropolitan temperatures tend to be higher (as much as 3 degrees Celsius annually) than local rural areas. Madison, Wisconsin is no exception to this concept.
Just like Main Street and University Avenue, it seems like very state has a “Beaver Lake”. There’s Beaver Lake Arkansas, named after homesteader Wilson Beaver. There’s also Beaver Lake Wisconsin, Beaver Lake Illinois, and Beaver Lake New York. These photos are from Beaver Lake Nature Center in New York. Although beavers do roam this 661-acre reserve, the lake was named for its animal-like shape.
Photo by Chris LeBoutillier on Pexels.com
Carbon capturing technology exists. The question among philosophers is whether or not using such tools is morally sound. Removing carbon from the atmosphere with machines makes consumerism appear less harmful than it really is. On the other hand, natural climate solutions (NCS) are a less costly and more ethical alternative to geoengineering that involve restoration and protection of our organic environment. NCS’s are simple solutions such as halting rainforest destruction or rebuilding drained wetlands. Which solution is the right one? Continue reading
I relish Google advertisements during the New Year’s Eve show because they usually remind me what went on in the world for the past 365 days. This past year was a blur. Here are some of the environmental goings-on that I can recall- good and bad.
Image from TIME by Ami Vitale – National Geographic Creative.
“Late afternoon in the bog” by Liam Moloney. License CC by 2.0
Say! What a lot of fens there are. Parallels have been drawn between race, ethnicity, and Dr. Seuss’ poem about fish in the past. But to me, wetlands emulate the essence of the poem. Of wetlands there are many types, including bogs, fens, marshes and swamps. A list of wetland types by WWF gets into even more detail. Some I was even unfamiliar with: pocosins, billabongs, and mires to name a few. Let’s delve into the distinctions and why they matter.
In my last post I referred to wetlands as an arduous ecosystem for many creatures. Some species simply can’t adapt to the anaerobic, flooded, and nutrient-poor conditions that these ecosystems present. Surely it is no surprise that humans are one of the few exceptions to this rule.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
